Dr. Xue Han

Flashes of light may one day be used to control the human brain, and
that day just got a lot closer.

Using lasers, researchers at the MIT Media Lab were able to activate a
specific set of neurons in a monkey’s brain. Though the technique has
been used to control and explore neural circuits in fish, flies, and
rodents, this is the first time the much-hyped technology has ever been
used in primates.

“It paves the way for new therapies that could target a number of
psychiatric disorders,” said MIT neuroscientist
Ed Boyden, who led the
research with postdoctoral fellow Xue Han. “This is very exciting from a
translational standpoint.”